Samuel Caldwell Sample (August 15, 1796 – December 2, 1855) was an American lawyer and politician who served a single term as a

United States Representative The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

from

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

from 1843 to 1845.

Early life

Sample Caldwell Sample was born in

Elkton, Maryland Elkton is a town in and the county seat of Cecil County, Maryland, United States. The population was 15,776 at the 2020 census, up from 15,443 in 2010. It was formerly called Head of Elk because it sits at the head of navigation on the Elk R ...

, to John Sample. His father was a captain serving under Thomas Veazey in the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

. Sample attended a rural school. He learned to become a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenter ...

and assisted his father in his contracting business. Around 1823 he moved with his father to

Connersville, Indiana Connersville is a city in Fayette County, Indiana, United States, east by southeast of Indianapolis. The population was 13,324 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The city is the county seat of and the only incorporated town in th ...

. He studied

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

there and was admitted to the bar in 1833.

Career

After being admitted to the bar, he began practicing law in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. It lies along the St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan), St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. It is the List of cities in ...

. In 1834 he was elected

prosecuting attorney A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the adversarial system, which is adopted in common law, or inquisitorial system, which is adopted in civil law. The prosecution is the legal party responsible ...

and subsequently elected

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

of the ninth judicial circuit in 1836. He served as judge until he resigned in 1843. He also served as the first president of the First National Bank of South Bend.

Political career

He was elected to the

28th United States Congress The 28th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C., from March 4, 184 ...

as a Whig where he served from 1843 to 1845, the first representative from

Indiana's 9th congressional district Indiana's 9th congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Indiana. Located in south-central and southeastern Indiana, the district stretches from the south suburbs of Indianapolis to the Indiana side of the Louisville ...

. He was defeated for reelection in 1844 by Charles W. Cathcart.

Later career

After his defeat from Congress, he returned to South Bend, where he resumed practicing law until his death.

Personal life

Sample married Ann Howard of Elkton. Sample died on December 2, 1855, at his home in South Bend. He was buried at City Cemetery in South Bend.

References

External links

* 1796 births 1855 deaths People from Elkton, Maryland Politicians from Cecil County, Maryland Politicians from South Bend, Indiana Indiana lawyers Indiana state court judges Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Indiana Politicians from Connersville, Indiana 19th-century Indiana state court judges 19th-century American lawyers 19th-century members of the United States House of Representatives {{Indiana-politician-stub